In Germany, Party Leaders Split on Issues

Published: October 2, 1995

To the Editor:

Your Sept. 24 news article presents the self-laceration of Germany's Social Democrats as an expression of a personality and power conflict between the party leader, Rudolf Scharping, and the Premier of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schroder.

The malaise of the party arises less from Mr. Scharping's lack of charisma than because of irreconcilable divisions within the party over major political issues like the limits of the welfare state, fiscal and budgetary problems, global economic competitiveness, foreign policy in the post-cold-war world and future coalition partners.

Four issues came to a head over the summer.

First, a number of Social Democratic federal state premiers were less than enthusiastic about Mr. Scharping's call for large increases in federally mandated support payments to all families with children when constituents chafe at rising budget deficits and tax burdens resulting from the high costs of reunification.

Instead they favor restraining the growth of entitlements.

Second, Mr. Schroder has echoed the concern of many business people about the declining competitiveness of German industry and high unemployment levels resulting from high labor costs, excessive regulation and lagging productivity growth.

He has favored re-examining restrictions on the workweek in the industrial and retail sectors, restrictions defended by the German Trade Union Confederation and by Mr. Scharping.

Divisions over German foreign policy emerged in parliamentary debates over Bosnia. Mr. Scharping argued that because of Nazi atrocities in Yugoslavia during World War II, German military engagements in actions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United Nations there would be inappropriate.

A significant minority within the Social Democratic parliamentary faction sided with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and voted to send Tornado fighters and a field hospital on the ground that Germany can't permanently evade international obligations by invoking the Nazi past.

Elections in a number of states brought the issue of future coalition partners to a head.

Should the Social Democrats ally with the Christian Democrats in a centrist grand coalition or with the more left-oriented, ecological and pacifist Greens?

Within these debates Mr. Scharping represented the Social Democratic consensus, whereas Mr. Schroder sought to move the party closer to Chancellor Kohl's Christian Democrats.